Container



J. A. GRAY CONTAINER March 10, 1942.

Filed March 17, 1959 .v INVENTOR ATTO EYS Y Patented Mar. 10,

comma James A. Gray, San Francisco, Cslif.,' a'ssignor to American Can Company, New York, N. 2., a corporation of New Jersey Application March 17, 1939, SerialNo. 262,529 7 2 Claims. ,(Cl. 22024) The present invention relates to sheet metal containers and has particular reference to a hermetic crimped end seam for a raw unflanged edge body to provide a container or can which is hermetically tight but which may be readily opened by a prying oil of the can end. I

An object of the invention is the provision of a can of simple construction which may be manufactured economically and which has a hermetic'ally sealed closure adapted to be easily and quickly removed by a mere prying action when it is desired to open the can, the construction of the can and its closure being such as to give a full open mouth to the can when the closure is removed. r s

Another object is the provision of such a can wherein its ends are provided with a seam lining compound and are crimped over raw unhemmed terminal edges of the body in an improved metal pinching action which produces a slightly flared end seam or joint which is hermetic and which will withstand processing strains and which at the same time will permit easy removal of the entire can end byva simple prying action.

Numerous other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent as it is better understood from the following description, which, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, discloses a preferred embodimentv thereof.

Referring to the drawing: Figure Us a perspective view of a sealed sheet metal can embodying the instant. invention;

portions of the can'being broken away and shown in section and partof the prying tool being I broken off. i

As a preferred embodiment of the invention the drawing illustrates a can which includes a tubular body ll having a side wall section l2 the upper and lower terminal or marginal edges I; of which are straight without hem. curl or bend: The open ends of the body are closed with top and bottom can ends or closures I 5. As in common can making practice the bottom end is pref.-

erably secured in place first and then the can is fllled with its contents in the usual manner.-

hermetically seals the can. Where the contents is a food product the sealed can may be processed in the usual manner, the joints being-adapted to stand such treatment.

In the drawing the topv and bottom closures are shown as being of identical construction although it should be understood that portions of the closures may be different in detail. The invention is also equally well adapted to a drawn body where only one closure isused to seal the can.

A can end I5 is preferably formed with a counter'sunk bottom wall section I6 which merges at an annular curved corner ll into a surrounding substantially vertical inner flange l8. The inner flange l8 of the can end merges into an outwardly curved wall section l9 which in turn merges into an outer flange 2|, the latter terminating in an outwardly bent curled edge- 22 disposed in substantially thesame horizontal plane (as viewed in Fig. 2) as the bottom wall l6 of the can end. The flanges [8, 2| and their connecting curved wall section i9thus 'set off an annular U-shaped channel 23. A deposit of a suitable lining compound 25 is disposed in this channel.

When a can end 15 is assembled in place on the body ready for sealing, the countersunk panel is disposed inside the can body, the inner'flange I8 extending adjacent the inner surface of the body wall I2 with its curved comer section ii in engagement therewith as best shown in Fig. 2. The curved section-l9 of 'the can end extends over the raw unhemmed edge I3 of the body and v .Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional detail of one side of the can, the view being taken substantially along the lines 2--2 in Fig. 1, with part broken iacent the outer curled edge 22 of the closure and along asingle narrow annul line of engagement so that only the' smallest possible area of these can parts arenctually/pinched together. I

Suflicient pressure is exerted along this narrow line of engagement to groove the outer flange 2| and thereby form an inwardly bent bead 26. in the outer flange and a? similar bead 21 in the body side bwall [2; this latter 'bead being embedded into the inner flange It. This beading action stretchesthe metal of the seam' parts along only the singlemarrow line of engagement thus leaving the remainder of the flanges including the After filling the top end is secured in place which oljxeenforced;

curled edge 22 unstretched but greatly stiffened During this pinching of the closure and the body flange parts the enclosed portion of the body side wall l2 adjacent the raw edge I3 is bent outwardly or reformed intoa slightly outwardly flared shape. This flared section of the body side wall together with the inwardly formed beads 26,

The crimping or pinching of the seam flange.

parts together are preferably effected by a roller 23 having an annular pinching ridge 29 adapted to press the metal of the can seem parts inwardly while they are backed up or supported by a chuck 30. It is this pinching ridge 29 which forms thebeads 26, 21 which lock the closure seam portion and the body side wall together along only a single annular line of engagement.-

To open the sealed can it is only necessary to pry off the can end by the use of a conventional can or bottle opener. One such can opener is illustrated in Fig. 3 and includes a fulcrum lug 3i and a curved hook 32 which are formed at one end of a prying handle 33. The tool is placed on the can so that the fulcrum lug rests on top of the closure wall section l6 and the hook 32 is engaged under the curled edge 22 of the outer flange 2| of the can end. With the tool in this position, an upward lifting of the handle 33 readily pries the can end off the body and thus leaves a full opening of the can and an unrestricted mouth for easy removal of the can contents.

It is thought that the invention and many of its attendant advantages will be understood from the foregoing description, and it will be apparent that various changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention or sacrificing all of its material advantages, the form hereinbefore described being merely a preferred embodiment thereof.

I claim:

1. A sheet metal hermetically sealed container of the pry-01f type designed to resist internal pressure resulting from processing contained food products after sealing, said container comprising a tubular body having a straight raw marginal edge at an end thereof, and an end closure nular line of contact, said body marginal edge for sealing said body, said end closure having a countersunk wall surrounded byspaced inner and outer flanges deflnin'g a channel enclosing the raw edge of said body, the outer of said flanges terminating in a peripheral curled edge, said flanges being crimped tightly against the body along an annular line of contact, said body marginal edge and said outer flange being locked together in an inwardly offset annular bead which holds the closure in place against axial displacement during processing of the can contents, said annular bead being disposed outwardly of said countersunk wall and opposite the inner flange, the inner surface of the inner.

flange of said closure being substantially smooth throughout, the channel space outwardly of said bead confining a sealing compound in which the raw edge of the body is embedded to provide a hermetic seal between the closure and the body, said curled edge of the closure facilitating opening of the can by a prying action.

2. A sheet metal hermetically sealed container of the pry-off type designed to resist internal pressure resulting from processing contained food products after sealing, said container comprising a tubular'body having a straight raw marginal edge at an end thereof, and an end closure for sealing said body, said end closure having a countersunk wall surrounded by spaced inner and outer flanges defining a channel enclosing the raw edge of said body, said flanges being crimped tightly against the body along an anand the outer of said flanges being locked together in an inwardly offset annular bead which holds the closure in place against axial displacement during processing of the can contents, said annular bead being disposed outwardly of said countersunk wall and opposite the inner flange, the inner surface of the inner flange of said closure being substantially smooth throughout, the inner and outer flanges of said end closure and the enclosed raw edge of said body outwardly of said bead being flared outwardly to resist axial displacement of the closure, the channel space outwardly of said bead conflning'a sealing compound in which the raw edge of the body is embedded to provide a hermetic seal between the closure and the body, said outer flange terminating in an outwardly curled edge to facilitate prying removal of said end closure from its locked V and sealed position on said container.

JAMES A. GRAY. 

